Slaughterhouse 12

STARTED: 1:00 PM
FINISHED: 11:00 PM with a significant break
Word Count: 2025


You had the chance to read what the race was like, and if you didn't, it's at
http://jameslyden.com/silverman.html. During that recap I mentioned that a film crew was tracking my progress to put into a documentary. I gave them more photos when the asked for them around Christmas. In January they sent a link to the trailer for the film, and though I was told I was in it, this was my first chance to see it. I laughed as I realized that yes, I was in the last two seconds as they showed my
race finish.

Later that week, Lisa, who swims with the Masters group coached by the race director, heard they were looking to show the finished product at a movie theater. An online version of the movie was released and soon after I got the DVD that I ordered that incorporated my finish. This movie helped me realize why I was having tightening pain all through my chest after I finished; I knew that I shouted when I crossed the finish line but didn't realize that I was still screaming as I ran through the chute.

The date was March 19, with the movie being shown at Rave Motion Pictures and a party afterwards at Blue Martini. I sent the invite to everybody local and RSVP'd myself. Since I'd seen the movie, obviously I knew what to expect, but how often do you get to see yourself on a movie screen?

The weather had turned warmer, and I needed a new shirt; everything else was huge. I found a T-shirt that fit perfectly through the shoulders and looked good with slacks. It was Medium. My God, this day was going to be surreal.

After a brief workout I was on my way. I parked further away from the theater and walked through Town Square. When I got to the top of the ramp I saw there was a line for about 200 people. I saw Jenn and Ed about midway through the line; they had been wait-listed because the 350-seat theater had been sold out. I said Hi to them and cleared up where we could meet afterward. I walked in and looked for Mike and Lisa; there was a crowd of people around a card table. We eventually found each other.

Dave Scott was mingling with people at the front; we nodded and smiled at each other. I've seen him at Silverman events for years now, and I can't even bring myself to say three words to the guy. He's The Man. Not just as an expression, either, that's his nickname within the sport - "The Man." Six-time winner of Hawaii Ironman. I'm not fit to breathe the same air as him, because he could probably be using it more efficiently.

Spencer from New Momentum saw me waiting and came over to shake hands. He noticed I lost more weight; I thanked him for how everything was put together in the film. He scowled a little and said, "We made some changes. I'll get you a new one. One second." He ran over to the table and grabbed a DVD from the back. "New voiceover, some different cuts, and better titles." As someone who just spent the past month working on a movie about getting my head shaved, I smiled inside. I asked about the air date, and he said, "The programming director was supposed to tell me today. I should check my phone; he may have told me in the last hour. We were going to give out the date tonight."


At the card table, I gave my name to someone in a Silverman fleece vest. She smiled and said, "I recognized you when you came in." She gave me drink tickets and a bracelet. The gentleman in front of us got a card as they explained, "There's four rows reserved for VIPs. Hand your card to the lady in there and you'll be seated." Mike asked, "You're IN the movie. How are you not a VIP?"

We made our way to the theater, where Frank Lowery, the race director, greeted us at the door. He shook hands with me and said, "Young man." I first met Frank at an REI seminar about triathlon in 2005. That's where he said that when he was competing through the Southwest (among his opponents was the aforementioned Mr. Scott and Lance Armstrong) he had a year in which he competed in 19 races. Remember this the next time you want to call ME insane. Lisa introduced her husband Mike and we headed to our seats.

We went to the middle, about four rows from the back. A large title card was shown on the screen thanking the athletes, volunteers, sponsors and investors, from Frank and Meg Lowery. "That's why I'm not a VIP, Mike," I pointed out. "I'm not involved in getting the roads closed for this year's race."

A couple sat down next to us and started talking about triathlon. He looked over, said hello, and asked, "Did you do this race?" I smiled and nodded.

"Are you in the movie?"
"Kind of." I smiled. Lisa looked over and whacked me. "They interviewed him. He's in it."

Frank introduced himself, Dave Scott, the title sponsors, and the New Momentum producers, as well as the Town Square, Blue Martini, and Rave people who helped put this together. He also introduced the Challenged Athletes Foundation/Operation Rebound athletes, men who were injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan who did the race themselves or as part of a relay team were featured extensively in the movie. The lights dimmed and it was showtime.

I know you'll want to see this when it's broadcast, or you may have seen it already. so I can spare you the details. I told them about the weight I lost and how I try to jump over the finish line at the end of a race. They showed me at the expo, at the start, as I got out of the water, while I was running, and after the finish. All told I appear in about 2 minutes and 15 seconds of the movie. They were able to make out something coherent of what I was saying while I was delirious and while I'd had about five minutes notice that I was needed to tell my story. It was very well done. When I first appeared on the screen, Wendy, half of the couple seated next to me, looked at the screen, looked and pointed at me, elbowed her husband, seated next to me, who did the same thing. It was hilarious.

When the lights came up, a gentleman one row back saw when I looked over at Lisa. "That WAS you! Congratulations! What an accomplishment! That was great!" We shook hands with five or six other people and made our way down to the bottom, where we met up with Jen and Ed, who got seating. As we were leaving, six feet to my left, once again, it's Dave Scott, who narrated a lot of the cycling and also had his own story told along with his involvement in the race. We nod, we smile.

"Good show!" he said.
"Likewise!" I replied. A semblance of an actual conversation.

We all made our way to the exit. Mike was joking with me about signing autographs with a Sharpie marker. I stopped in the restroom before we headed to Blue Martini and had to hear from people by the sink. "Jumper!" I nodded. "You've lost more weight!" "I'll see you at the next place." I smiled. Through the lobby was the same thing - I was very acutely aware of people looking at me. The five of us caught up with each other and crossed the walkway to Blue Martini.

We made our way to a back room and took a seat at a reserved table where I could have my back to a wall. We had time to order drinks, and then I saw the CAF guys come over.

"There he is!" It was Captain Dave Rozell of Operation Rebound, along with Sam Silla and Andy Hatcher. We quickly made introductions and marveled at the movie and the course. I joked with them that "you all clobbered me - maybe next year I'll finish in daylight." They kept saying how different I looked and that my story was inspiring. I'm being told this by triathletes that are missing LIMBS.

Ten seconds later, I see Anthony Smith across from my table. I tell everyone that I had to say hello to him. We talked about how surreal it was to be in a movie and in VIP of a chock-full nightclub on a Thursday night; he told me he was impressed by the willpower to lose that much weight. Again, this is a man who completed a 1.2 mile swim without his right arm below the elbow, who's telling me, "I'm trying to quit smoking. I'm down to five a day, and it's just tough to beat, but I'll get there." I'm listening to him tell me this and it's all I can do not to shake my head. Here's his story (at http://www.challengedathletes.org/pdfs/BiosCombined.pdf):

"In April 2004, Anthony took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. The missile went through his hip and stomach before it exploded, throwing him against a brick wall. Shrapnel took his arm. The enemy fired several rounds at his maimed body. He was put in a body bag before a nurse noticed air bubbles oozing through the blood."

People who go through that find what I do impressive? I wake up a little early and exercise. This man was one closed zipper away from death. The fact that he's willing to get in that water at all takes levels of courage and commitment that I can't even begin to imagine. And we were comparing workout plans. (He's a Pilates fan as well.)

Every five feet I was shaking hands with somebody new and hearing that I'd lost more weight, and they wanted to know if I was under 200 (closest I've gotten is 201.4) what my race schedule looked like, what a great story. I told people about running my first marathon this coming December and that I would be back for the Silverman half. I'm sure that I met the sponsors but I never got their names. I met with the PR director, who gave me about 10 drink tickets, several different women who said I had a very nice smile and that they'd been waiting to talk to me all night (who then started telling me about their boyfriends and husbands trying to get motivated to start exercising...I told you it was surreal) and then a round of shots with the Masters swim team. I walked to the bar in the midst of it; Frank saw I didn't have one and immediately handed it to me.

At the end of the night, I got to meet Oz Sanchez, who's also part of Operation Rebound. Oz completed the same distance I did, only much, much faster. He won a gold and a bronze medal in Beijing at the Paralympic cycling events. I pointed out that he got me by an hour or so when we raced. He laughed and said, "That's irrelevant. What you've done is really something. You're a totally different person!" I talked with the marketing director for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and they told me about a race in La Jolla in October that I'll be considering.

After that I headed out. Have you ever wondered if all the crunches add up to anything? If you run in a circle or swim all those laps for any purpose greater than the next race, the next workout, the next weight plateau? Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have it all pay off at once? In my case, for one night (and depending on how often this screens on NBC Universal Sports, at other events in the future) it did. I got to spend the night in the company of great friends, athletes and heroes. It was better than I could have imagined.

I'll let you know when it's slated to air.